Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Council approves enacting speed cameras

Portales is now one step closer to having speed enforcement cameras throughout town after the city council approved to enact them and begin contract negotiations at their regular meeting Tuesday.

Police Chief Christopher Williams took the podium once again to answer any questions regarding the cameras: how they work, where they will be placed, and how he believes they will benefit the community.

"My goal is to slow people down," Williams said to the council. "I'm not looking to pinch pennies out of people."

After a video of the speeding driver is taken, it will be reviewed by an officer to determine if the driver was really speeding, and by how much. Or, if the vehicle was an emergency vehicle.

"There are still a lot of what-ifs," Mayor Ronald Jackson said to those in attendance. Williams assured the council that they would work things out with the company installing the cameras, NovoaGlobal.

The cameras would be of no cost to the city, as the company would receive payment from the citations that are collected. The council voted six in favor of the two action items, and two were against.

In other items of business at Tuesday's meeting:

• Mayor Jackson read a proclamation declaring June 14 as Flag Day in Portales.

• Christine Mitchell, the Digital Services Director for the city, was awarded Employee of the Month.

• Betty Garcia, who works in Municipal Courts, received a five-year service award.

• The council voted to appoint four councilors to the 2024 ICIP Project Evaluation Committee to review, rate, and rank the projects with the City Manager Sarah Austin and the committee for presentation of the draft at a public hearing.

• The council approved a notice of intent to adopt changing the date of municipal elections to coincide with regular elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd numbered years.

The next city council meeting is scheduled to take place on June 13.

 
 
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